Never Again
by Host of Heaven
Summary: After the Battle of Haven, Ruby and Weiss are happy to focus on their new relationship. And Weiss gains a deeper appreciation for their roles in each other's life, moving forward.


The new, lovely couple spent its day resting aloof, soaking in the sweetness of victory and the transient intoxication of triumph, with little a care for the outside world. Rare, were moments such as these – in which they could afford to tune out the happenings of life, and allow for whispers and touches to set them free.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, in a daze. For some time, the high of their ministrations and the nascent lack of chaos had come together to give way to an exceedingly powerful, beautiful lethargy.

"Yes, Ruby?" the response came, more alert, but fighting a tiring battle, nonetheless.

"Can I tell you something, just between you and me?"

"Of course. I _am_ your best teammate, remember?"

"The best?" she chided, a faux-critical inflection leaking out the mouth. "You sure? Pretty sure Jaune was the one out there, saving lives."

"Oh hush, Rose. Do I not get any – "

Their little slice of the world was abruptly intruded upon, as the door flew open, and familiar faces peered inside. The privacy had been cut far too short, the lovers thought.

"Sorry to ruin the fun, kiddo," – Qrow started, twisting the cap of a silver flask – "but I've got a lead on Atlas, and we're gonna want to have some extra eyes on this."

As much as Ruby appreciated adventure, and as much as she appreciated the family given to her by fate, she supremely wished this could have come at a better time. She turned to reply, but staggered in her speech for a brief second.

Venerable, glowing red eyes – intense as ever, despite all the trauma they'd seen. Outwardly, Yang showed no other signs of fury – only her eyes betrayed any semblance of it.

"Yang?"

"You should go, sis." Yang suggested, monotonously, by her standards. "Trust us, he's gonna need another pair of eyes."

Ruby removed herself from Weiss's arms, eyes coasting between the intruders. "That big, huh? Ok… I guess," she gave, reluctantly. It was a far cry from the certain bliss she'd felt only moments ago.

"But what about – "

"What about Oz?" Yang interrupted.

Qrow leaned against the door, idyllically swirling the contents of the flask. "If you're in, I'll give you details on the way. But for now, let's just say Oz is still burned out."

With a collective sigh, the lovers stood from the bed, hands still joined, preferring to return to stupor.

"Alright. I'll go, then. Does this mean we're leaving _now_?"

Qrow gave a nod. "Come on. Mistral's underbelly swells up with crooks and degenerates at night, more than any other time of day. Perfect, when you're looking for information."

Ruby released Weiss's hand, and moved to follow him out, before stopping herself. "Yang?" she asked, the concern in her voice not going unnoticed. "Are you ok?"

Yang's gaze shifted to the ex-heiress, it's asperity now unwavering. "Peachy-keen. Weiss and I are just gonna have a nice, friendly chat." Her muscles squeezed ask flexed, her knuckles cracking as nicely and friendlily as one could manage.

Weiss raised a brow in confusion, but Ruby couldn't suppress a slight bout of concern. "Yang, what're you – "

"Kiddo!" Qrow called. "You're in or you're out – time doesn't just wait around for us."

Ruby'd have been lying if she said she wasn't the least bit concerned about her sister's mindset, but luckily Weiss was there to calm the nerves.

"Go ahead," she said, reassuringly. "I'll be right here, waiting, when you get back."

With a reluctant nod, Ruby conceded. She shut the door on her way out, and the room was still and silent, save for the placid hum of the air conditioning. Through the silence, the two girls gave one another prodding stares – one curious, and the other cynical.

Weiss had been wondering how to break the standoff. Attempt to crack a joke? Throw out a trite compliment? But RWBY's dynamic was just so new, once again. Though, perhaps with time, they'd fall back into a rhythm.

Before she managed to attempt anything, Yang let out a heavy sigh, its torpor almost reverberating. Clenched fists came undone, diminutive, blonde sparks died out, and red faded to lilac. With the release, both girls allowed their muscles to relax, and for weights to be removed from their shoulders. Yang was the first to break the tried silence.

"We need to talk," she said peacefully. So peacefully, really, that Weiss was almost surprised by the sudden change in demeanor.

"Just talk?" Weiss questioned. "You looked like you were here for more than an idle chat."

"Looks can be deceiving." Yang took a seat on the closest bed. "And, so can actions."

"Don't I know it," Weiss granted. She took a place on the opposite bed, facing the conversation. "You were deceiving us, then?"

Yang sported half a grin. "Well, not really. It's usually fun to give you a little fright, but…" – she squirmed, as if rattled by some unseen adversary, and the grin too faded – "no. That wasn't about you guys. I've just had a lot on my mind, you know?"

"I think we've all been in some intense straits, lately. Would it help to talk about it?"

There was a moment of hesitation, but for a second, it appeared to Weiss as if they might actually talk. But deferral won out, this time. "It's ok, thanks. I think I just need some time to let it all sit."

Seconds passed before either spoke again. Weiss had thought about pushing the issue, but couldn't quite reconcile moral support with invasive interrogation.

"Make no mistake, though. I _am _here to talk."

"That's good. So, what about?"

"I actually wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" Weiss hadn't been expecting something as positive. "Was it something I did?"

The prolific blonde grin returned. "Nah. It's not so much something you _did_. It's more about something you're _doing_."

"Color me intrigued, then. What is it that I'm doing?"

Yang let out another deep breath. "Weiss, how much do you know about Ruby's childhood in patch?"

Not quite the expected route this conversation was going to take, Weiss thought. Suddenly, she felt some of the earlier tension coming back. "Not a lot, I suppose. Your uncle says it's a nice place to raise a family. I know your father teaches there at Signal. I –" she almost stopped, wanting to tread lightly around the subject of Ruby's mother, but powered through the discomfort "–I know her mother died when she was young. We've never talked much about it, but I get that it still affects her."

Yang nodded. "That's putting it a little lightly, but yeah. It does."

"Yang." Although not entirely at ease, Weiss felt it appropriate to inch a bit closer into the shadow that seemed to hang over half her team. "Is there something I should know about Ruby? Is that what this is really about?"

"Like I said, Weiss, I wanted to thank you." Yang rested her elbows on her legs, and leaned forward on the bed.

"You know, Summer was the most important person in Ruby's life. And, I know mothers usually are, even if it's not the same for everyone, but this is different," Yang said.

"I don't think she'd ever admit it, but the fact is, Ruby loved Summer more than dad. More than me. And I'm willing to bet Summer felt the same way about her daughter. I'm not jealous. I don't resent her for it. It's just that Summer's death is still affecting Ruby in a pretty big way, even today.

"We all loved Ruby unconditionally, but Summer was her hero. Mothers are supposed to be your greatest, unconditional hero; they're supposed to be your truest, most permanent friends; they're supposed to be a source of comfort in our darkest, most unfortunate, most confusing times. Your mother is supposed to be a support, who will love you like nobody else can.

"And now, with this war we're fighting, Ruby needs a support more than ever." Yang took a deep breath, and spoke more slowly. "She's got a lot on her shoulders, and sometimes I do worry about how she's handling everything."

For her part, Weiss looked at her feet, and said nothing. She could only be confident of the fact that the loss of her mother had affected Ruby more than she'd thought.

"But then, I look at the two of you, together, and I think that maybe, she'll be alright."

Weiss look up at the words. They brought a burst of warmth, to a moment that now seemed forlornly cold.

"Obviously, you're not her mother."

The warmth withstood even the awkward comment.

"But, it's easy to see how happy you make her."

Weiss found it impossible to suppress the slight smile the thought brought her.

"Basically, I wanted to thank you for what you're doing. And, I just hope you'll keep doing it. One of these days, Ruby will tell you herself just how _she _feels, but I wanted to make sure you realize that _you're_ the most important person in her life now. You can love her in ways none of the rest of us can. And when she's in dark times, you'll be the one she leans on first."

Weiss nodded in understanding, with a smile. "Ruby's done a lot for me. She's helped me become who I am today." She gave her best look of determination. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure never feels left again. We'll have each other."

"I'm sure you will."

They hugged off any lingering tension, and Yang eventually left Weiss to her devices, both girls having felt weights lifted from them. Weiss retreated to bed and bore her smile to the ceiling, and exhaled, content to wait.


End file.
